Runaways

Terrance's POV

I wake up when the sun high in the sky, shinning down on my face. I rub the sleep out of my eyes as I yawned loudly, outstretching my arms until I heard the my joints pop. Spencer turns in his sleep as I nudged him awake. I smile as I saw his eyes flutter open and yawns, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning, bro,” I slap his face gently a few times to help wake him up more. He groaned at me and swatted my hand away from his face. He sat up from the uncomfortable position he was in and stretched out his arms, sighing when his joints popped as well. I stood up feeling stiff still and twist my torso to crack my back.

“What are we going to do today?” Spencer asked, the sleepiness still heavy in his voice.

I sighed knowing that I always have to come up with a plan. Without me, I doubt Spencer would know how to tie his own shoes let alone take care of himself for the rest of his life. I have to baby him all the time, and honestly I don't mind it at all. It helps ease my mind since I can't baby my little brother anymore...

I ran a hand through my reddish, brown hair and smile at him, “Well we need food and new clothes. These ones we're wearing smell like shit dude,” I laughed and he joined in with me soon after.

“Alright, just tell me where to aim and I'll shoot,” Spencer smiled devilishly and motioned me to follow him from under the bridge.

I grab the backpack we stole from the gas station from yesterday and quickly followed behind my best friend. Today was another bright and sunny day, being in this beautiful town. I couldn't help but think of Serena and everyone else I lost. Even though she was Spencer's twin, she was also the first person I ever fell in love with. I never knew I was able to fall in love while being in such a messed up town. I thought we were all doomed to die alone and scared, but that was not the case. When I lost Serena that day I lost my heart along with her. I don't think I could ever trust to love again because I'd be fearing losing it. Spencer might feel the same way as me, but I wasn't sure I never asked him. He unconditionally loved his sister and his parents so he might not be able to trust anyone but me ever again. I'm afraid of that honestly. I want him to open up to more people if we ever find someone who wants to befriend us, because we can't keep running forever we need a stable place to call home.

Thinking back on the day Spencer and I lost everything we never truly recovered. Spencer tuned from a gently, protective person to a on edge and a dark person. He isn't who he was before the dramatic deaths. Even I couldn't begin to explain how we felt when we lost them. Just thinking about it starting to make my stomach do flips as I remembered the feeling of realization that Spencer and I were on our own.

Walking down the dirt street with salty tears dripping from our eyes, staining our cheeks if they didn't fall down completely. The cars zoomed by us without even giving it a second thought that we're probably lost and could use some help, but now a days no one really cares. The visions of my dead family play through my head like a slide show and I begin to feel sick to my stomach. I jump down in a ditch and hunch over holding my stomach as I threw up my gut. I didn't eat any food since Spencer and I ran away, all that was coming up was this yellow shit. Spencer jumped down in the ditch with me and I knew he was going to be doing what I was doing at the moment, throwing up our guts at the realization that we have no family anymore.

I coughed hard as I finished up throwing up the nothingness in my tummy and stagger to sit down away from the defiled spot. My head hits a wire fence that was outlining the dirt road and starts to spin slowly, making me want to throw up again. My head started pounding in unbelievable pain and my vision starts to blur up as well. I started shaking uncontrollably and soon realized I was crying yet again, for the hundredth time in one day. I start pounding the ground with my fist and mutter under my breath profanity as the tears fall down even faster. I cried so hard that when I leaned over on my side I puked again.

“Goddamn it!” I shouted, as I wiped my mouth with my hand. “Why is this happening to us?”

I heard Spencer cough and I turn to face him. His eyes were puffy and blood shot, you could tell he threw up again like I have since there's a slight stain on his shirt. Gross but what can we do about it? We're orphans, gang members, misfits that nobody wants or even knows about. I bet I even looked like shit too.

“Terrance we need to keep moving and find a place to stay for awhile, while we recover from what happened,” he chocked out and coughed again. I nodded and got off my butt to continue walking down the escape route we found.

Spencer was dragging behind me as we walked aimlessly, hoping to find at least a gas station or rest stop on the highway. Walking for thirty minutes, hearing the annoying horns beeping at us we finally reach a rest stop. I smiled a little bit, relieved we found something finally, I was exhausted from walking more than ten miles. Spencer ran up to an empty truck and cheered when it was unlocked. He called me over and I hopped in smiling to notice the dumb ass left the keys in the ignition.

“This must be our lucky day Terrance,” Spencer laughed as he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the space in a reckless manner. He sped off towards the highway turning on music loudly and cheering. We were getting further and further away from our damned past and closer and closer to our future in which I hope will be bright.

I had the window rolled down and stuck my head out of it. I cheered loudly as Spencer kept speeding down the road, we were having the time of our lives. We kept on driving until the sun started to set and decided to turn into a gas station for a night's rest. I had a small smile on my face as I closed my eyes for a good night sleep without worry of being killed.

I rubbed the back of my head trying to rid my mind of being depressed again. The memory finally disappeared from my mind as I entered a store with Spencer. He looked back at me with a devilish smile on his face as we scanned the area. It was a small store mainly filled with clothes and shoes, I told Spencer to go get us some clothes as I took my time walking around the store for snacks to stuff in the backpack. He dashed off like a little kid in a candy store and I couldn't help but laugh at his actions it was kind of cute. I shrug at that thought and go on my search for food.

Twenty minutes later the backpack is restocked with snacks and drinks and Spencer comes running up to me with two outfits in his hands. He handed me a pair of dark, slightly ripped skinny jeans and a flannel shirt, his outfit was a pair of gray skinny jeans and a black button down shirt with a white wife beater. I take the outfit he picked out for me and we both walk into the nearest bathroom, checking in all the stalls to make sure it was empty. Spencer went into a bathroom stall and I stripped myself of my old clothes and underwear, tossing them into the trash can. I quickly get fully dressed and check myself out in the mirror. I smile to myself since I liked what I see when Spencer came out of the stall he was in tossing me a red DC hat. He put on a white DC hat and smiled at me sheepishly.

“I've always wanted one of these hats,” he laughed. I shook my head at him with a smile on my face.

“We need new shoes now, these ones are so dirty and worn out,” I sighed as I tossed the backpack on my shoulder again and walked out of the bathroom with Spencer tailing behind me.

We walked through the store looking for the area that had the shoes and socks all stocked up. I began getting the feeling we were being watched and I constantly looked over my shoulder, but saw no one. I bit my lip as I sat down at a bench in front of the shoe rack. Spencer handed me a pair of red converse and socks as well as getting him his own blue converse and socks. I quickly changed my shoes and stuffed them back in the shoe box the converse were in and waited for Spencer.

“Dude do you feel like you're being watched?” I whispered to Spencer as he finished stuffing his old shoes in a shoe box. He nodded slowly and looked around a corner.

“Well shit there cops here,” he cursed and grunted. I hate cops they never did anything right when you really needed help.

The cops walked right in our pathway of getting out of the store and I tensed up. Spencer had an awful scowl on his face, he hated the comes more than I did.

One cop gave us a skeptical look, “We got a call from a gas station up the road from here saying that two young males robbed the place,” he started while shifting his eyes between Spencer and I.”Food items were stolen as well as a backpack that looks very much like the one you're wearing son.”

I nearly gagged when he called me “son” it made him sound like someone's grandfather. I heard Spencer laugh as he knows that I hated when adults gave me names like that.

“So you coppers think we did?” he laughed again then gave me a quick glance before smirking.

“Well, the evidence does add up Spence,” I took the backpack off my shoulder slowly. “Well you can have the shit bag back!” I shouted and threw the bag at the officer in front of me and followed after Spencer out of the store.

Spencer and I ran down the street with the cops shouting behind us. I cheered as I knew they would never catch up with us as we jumped over fences and ran through yards, getting yelled at by people who happened to be in the yards. Sadly though, the chase only lasted about thirty minutes before the cops lost where we went. I laughed as I collapsed by a tree breathing unevenly. Spencer had a huge smile plastered on his face as he sat down next to me, punching me lightly in the shoulder.

“That was fun,” he said breathlessly.

“Yeah, but now we have no food,” I rolled my eyes as I remembered tossing the bag filled with our snacks at the police officers. “Oh well, I suppose. We can always steal more.”

Spencer nodded and closed his eyes. The sun was slowly setting telling us it was time to sleep. I blow out air from my mouth as I rested my head against the tree trunk. My life wasn't always as hectic as it is now, we never used to have to steal for a living. It somehow just turned out that way. Spencer and I were born poor and virtually on the streets, but we still had enough money to get us and his sister and my little brother through school. We all had wonderful friends that I miss so much. I know our friends Craig Rivers, David Lynch, Ronnie Daniels and Alex Smith were still alive somewhere in our old town and I hope I do see them one day. I hope the do eventually escape from the town that suddenly got overrun with gangs from different places. We were forced into this awful life.

I rub my head with my hand and sigh, I just want my old life back. Where we didn't have to fight for our lives, run from the cops, look over our shoulders. I want to fall in love even though I'm afraid to, I want my old friends back even though I doubt they'll escape, I want Spencer to open up and live out of his fighter past even though I doubt he'd do that even for himself. God I'm such a pessimist but can you really blame me? What if this all happened to you in one day? You'd feel doubt about moving on too.

I look up at the moon that was peeping through the clouds and slowly close my eyes to let sleep take over me again. I hope I sleep well tonight like I did last night, I had a wonderful dream about my old life.